Martindale AV Peer Review Rated +++ Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators +++ Formerly Partner in the Miami Office of Shutts & Bowen, LLP +++ Big law firm experience +++ Clerk for Louisiana Supreme Court Justice +++ Formerly counsel for the international operations of Pan-American Life and John Alden Life +++ Admitted in Florida, Louisiana and Texas, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, United States District Courts for The Eastern District of Louisiana and The Southern District of Florida +++ Over twenty-five years of experience advising clients on international business activities +++ Languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish +++ Transactional, litigation and arbitration experience +++ ICDR International Neutral Arbitrator +++ All client files relate to either international commercial transactions or disputes +++ Exposure to full-range of business-related legal advice and representation +++ ICSID Arbitrator +++ Bar and professional association involvement: The Florida Bar, International Law Section, Past Chair; Inter-American Bar Association, Council Member and Chair, International Arbitration Law Committee +++ Designated Representative of the Inter-American Bar Association to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Working Group +++ Business and Industry Involvement: Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; International Trade In Services Task Force; past Co-Chair, Americas Linkage Program +++ Have advised large insurance trade association located in Washington, D.C. on international issues +++ Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law (International Commercial Arbitration Seminar, Insurance Law Seminar and International Business Transactions Class) +++ Conduct a two-week comparative law course for the Loyola University School of Law every summer, alternating between Costa Rica and Brazil, and presently teaching a class on the United States law of international commercial arbitration +++ Civil and common law practice experience (member of the Louisiana bar for 25 years, taught law school course on comparative law; teach comparative contracts class for Georgetown CLE) +++ Past Member, Advisory Council of the Louisiana State University Law Center’s newly established Latin American Continuing Legal Education Program +++ Named “Lawyer of the Americas 2006” by the Editorial Board of the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review +++ Named member of Florida Legal Elite (alternative dispute resolution), Florida Trend Magazine (2007, 2011), Best Lawyers of America (2008-2011)(International Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution) and Who’s Who Legal Florida (2008), Commercial Arbitration Chapter +++ Listed in Guide to the World's Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts, 8th edition; Who’s Who Legal Commercial Arbitration 2012, Super Lawyers, Florida Edition, International (Primary) and Alternative Dispute Resolution (Secondary)(2012) +++ Investment Arbitration: Arbitrator in foreign investment dispute administered by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)(appointment shown on ICSID website) +++ International Commercial Arbitration (Rules: ICC, UNCITRAL, ICDR, AAA, International Supplement, Inter-American Arbitration Commission) + Chair, Spanish-language commercial arbitration involving sovereign respondent + Chair, international commercial arbitration involving venture capital dispute + Chair, international maritime personal injury disputes + Chair, business acquisition dispute + Arbitrator, Asset purchase dispute. Sat on three-arbitrator international tribunal + Arbitrator, International hotel management dispute + Sat on three-arbitrator tribunal + Strongly contested proceeding with parallel litigations in foreign and domestic courts +++
Arbitrator, International contract termination dispute involving closure of manufacturing plant in Latin America + Arbitrator, Stock Purchase Dispute, Arbitration to he conducted in Spanish + Arbitrator, International sales contract dispute + Arbitrator, Yacht construction/sale dispute + Arbitrator, Dispute involving Contractual Guarantee + Arbitrator, Telecommunications dispute (in Spanish) + Arbitrator, Stock Purchase dispute (in Spanish) + Advocate, Reinsurance arbitration involving two Latin American insurers (conducted in Spanish) +++ Advocate, ICC Arbitration involving telecommunications dispute (satellite) - Represent Latin American party against Brazilian company - Three member tribunal, seat in New York +++ Advocate, International arbitration involving stock purchase agreement; beverage distribution - Proceeding conducted in Spanish - Client prevailed in arbitration and 100% of award and interest collected in contested proceedings +++ Advocate, commercial dispute involving gaming concession in Latin America - Represented Latin American respondent - Forced walk-away settlement +++ Advocate, dispute involving health insurance policy issued to foreign resident - Arbitration in Miami - Represented health insurer - Favorable settlement - Dismissal of parallel foreign litigation +++ Advocate, dispute involving international health insurance policy - Successful appeal to United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to obtain reversal of remand order - Motion to stay litigation in South Florida pending arbitration in Panama granted, appeal of stay order to Eleventh Circuit dismissed sua sponte +++
Advocate, international reinsurance dispute - Procedural positioning and invocation of right to arbitrate lead to favorable settlement of dispute +++ Advocate and Advised on arbitration involving power sale agreements - Matter settled on favorable terms +++ Advocate and Advising on international arbitration involving Latin American telecommunications dispute +++ Advocate, International franchise/distribution contract dispute +++ Advocate, international arbitration involving futures contracts +++
Advocate, ad hoc international arbitration involving electronic navigational charts +++ Advocate, international reinsurance dispute +++ Advocate, pre-arbitration settlement of arbitrable international reinsurance claims +++ Advocate, FINRA arbitration, representing foreign claimant +++ Advocate before United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Ingaseosas International Corp. v. Aconcagua Investing Ltd. (Case No. 11-10914-H), pending decision +++ Advised on international arbitration involving yacht commissions. Settled on terms favorable to client +++ Routinely advise on the drafting of arbitration clauses for use in international commercial agreements +++ Related International Arbitration Credentials and Experience +++ Member, American Arbitration Association Roster of Neutral International Arbitrators +++ Member, Centro de Conciliación y Arbitraje Roster of International Arbitrators (Cámara de Comercio, Industria y Agricultura de Panamá) +++ Conduct seminar on international commercial arbitration at the University of Miami School of Law +++ Chair, International Commercial Arbitration Law Committee, Inter-American Bar Association +++ Coach, University of Miami School of Law Vis International Arbitration Moot team +++ Teach course on United States Arbitration Law, Loyola University (New Orleans) Summer Program, Rio de Janeiro and San José, Costa Rica +++ Taught course on United States law of international commercial arbitration law at the law school of the State University of Rio de Janeiro. (Lectures delivered in Portuguese) +++ Suggested the adoption in Louisiana of the UNCITRAL Model International Commercial Arbitration Law. (Bill introduced in the 2006 Regular Session of the legislature, passed both houses unanimously and signed into law, effective June 15, 2006) +++ Teach on-line course called “Common Law Contracts: A Comparative Approach” for Georgetown CLE/Lex Mercatoria to attorneys located and practicing in Latin America +++ Designated Representative of the Inter-American Bar Association to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Working Group +++ Vice-Chair and Board Member, Miami International Arbitration Society +++ Advisory Board Member, Swiss Arbitration Academy, Zurich, Switzerland +++ Advisory Board Member, University of Miami School of Law International Arbitration Initiative +++ Editorial Board Member, Revista Semestral de Direito Empresarial, a legal periodical published by the Commercial and Labor Law Department of the School of Law of the State University of Rio de Janeiro +++ Related International Litigation Experience +++ Handled matters involving: +++ Hague Convention on Judicial and Extra-Judicial Service of Documents Abroad +++ Unidroit Principles of International Contract Law +++ United Nations Convention on Contracts for The International Sale of Goods +++ Inter-American Convention on International Commercial Arbitration +++ United Nations Convention on The Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards +++ International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Rules +++ UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules +++ International Centre for Dispute Resolution Rules +++ Inter-American Commission on Commercial Arbitration Rules +++United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act +++Foreign Sovereign Immunity +++

Since January 1, 2011, John Rooney has practiced law as shareholder of John H. Rooney, Jr., P.A., a Florida professional association with its registered place of business in Miami, Florida, He continues to represent clients in international business matters, including international arbitrations and insurance matters. His new, more efficient structure allows him to continue to provide personalized advice for complex commercial transactions and disputes.

Prior to January 1, 2011, John Rooney was a partner in the Miami office of Shutts & Bowen, where he was a member of the firm's International Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group, He is admitted to practice law in Florida, Louisiana (the only state of the United States with a civilian system of private law), and Texas.

As an arbitrator, Mr. Rooney has resolved disputes under the rules of the Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission (IACAC, or CIAC) , the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR or CIRD), the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC or CCI). He has chaired arbitral tribunals in both English and Spanish. He has arbitrated a wide range of disputes, including hotel operating agreements, ship construction agreements, international distribution agreements, stock purchase agreements, and foreign investment disputes, and shareholder agreements.

In addition, he has served as counsel in arbitrations under the rules of many arbitral institutions, and represented clients in arbitration-related litigation. As an advocate in arbitrations, he has handed disputes involving international reinsurance, international insurance policies, international distribution agreements, stock purchase agreements, and international telecommunications. He has first chaired arbitrations in Spanish and English.

Mr. Rooney has handled arbitration-related litigation in both United States federal and state courts, and coordinated cross-border enforcement efforts of international arbitration awards. Representative matters have included the removal of a international health insurance dispute from state to federal court and enforcement of an international arbitration agreement and jurisdictional matters involving the ability of a federal court to hear an action to set aside an arbitration award issued in an arbitration involving two foreign parties.

Handling a dispute subject to an arbitration clause is only one element of the advice that a client should expect. He has also advises clients on the use of arbitration in the context of either the negotiation of a complicated business arrangement, such as a stock purchase agreement, or in the effectuation of an international insurance policies.

Mr. Rooney is also involved in academic activities involving international arbitration. He teaches the international commercial arbitration seminar and the international business transactions class at the University of Miami School of Law, where he also coaches the law school’s Vis International Arbitration Moot, held in Vienna, Austria every spring. For the Loyola University of the South School of Law, he conducts a course called “International Arbitration” at the law school’s international summer program, which alternates between San José, Costa Rica and Rio de Janeiro. He also conducts an internet course for Georgetown Law CLE on the drafting of contracts in English, which is directed to attorneys in Latin America.

Mr. Rooney’s involvement in professional organizations complements his effectiveness. He is past chair of the International Law Section of the Florida Bar, where he proposed the enactment of the UNICTRAL Model International Commercial Arbitration Law in Florida, which became law in Florida in July 2010. In addition, he is chair of the Inter-American Bar Association’s International Arbitration Law Committee and represents the Inter-American Bar at meeting of UNCITRAL’s Arbitration and Conciliation working group (Working Group II). He is also a consultant for UNCITRAL, for whom he has participated in judicial workshops and conferences.

He speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish, and has written and spoken extensively on the subject of international arbitration both in the United States and abroad. His most recent publication is a chapter titled “International Commercial Arbitration Practice in the United States,” part of a book titled “International Commercial Arbitration Practice: 21th Century Perspectives,” published in 2010 by the Thompson Publishing Group. He co-authored the chapter with Richard Williamson and Judith Freedberg of the University of Miami School of Law. Mr. Rooney has been recognized in Best Lawyers of America and The World’s Leading Experts in International Commercial Arbitration, as well as Florida Trend’s Legal Elite in the area of international commercial arbitration.